Advertising display supports



Oct. 24, 1961 P. JOHNSTON ADVERTISING DISPLAY SUPPORTS Filed Nov. 20, 1959 n Y N\ O "aw M M P; rt F v m Q m fl 0AM Eh 7 Q 1% \Q Q Ma M v J Q w 04 .LJ P i /0- W i 0 w 3,005,278 ADVERTISING DISPLAY SUPPORTS Louis P. Johnston, Kalamazoo, Mich, assignor to Johnston & Associates, Kalamazoo, Micln, a partnership Filed Nov. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 854,277

10 Claims. (Q1. 40-128) This invention relates to improvements in advertising display supports. The principal objects of this invention are: First, to provide a simple and inexpensive support which can be detachably mounted to support display and advertising material in positions heretofore unused for advertising purposes in stores and markets.

Second, to provide a display support made up of convenient sized interlocked sections which can be carried in a small bundle and erected to form a relatively long and high stable arch.

Third, to provide a demountable sectional arch having simple and effective interlocking connections between the sections of the arch and advertising display connectors on the supporting portions of the arch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following claims and specification. The drawings, of which there is one sheet, illustrate a highly practical form of the display support.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the support in erected position.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the interlocking connection between two adjacent sections of the support and the anchor connection at one end of the support.

FIG. 3 is a small scale view conventionally illustrating the support in. erected position with display and advertising material supported thereon.

. FIG. -4 is a fragmentary cross sectional View taken along the plane of-the line 44 in FIG. 3 illustrating two possible methods and structures for attaching advertising and display material to the support. -The display support of the invention in its erected operative position constitutes an arch adapted to be supported upon and bridge the space between two adjacent shelf sections as shown in FIG; 3 or it may be supported longitudinally along the top of a shelf section. The arch consists of a first terminal section 1, an opposite terminal section 2 and one or more intermediate sections 3. Anchor members 4 provide upstanding flanges 5 with spaced holes 6 formed therein for receiving the lower ends of the terminal sections as will be described. The anchor members. 4. are conventionally formed of folded sheet metal and have holes 7 therein for permanent attachment to a shelf or platform. When temporary installation is contemplated, an adhesive coating 8 on the undersides of the anchor members is used in place of more permanent screw connections. The holes 6 in the flanges 5 constitute catch portions that receive the ends of the arch and resist outward thrust ofthe-flexed arch. The left terminal section 1 as viewed in the drawings consists of spaced side rods 9 having outwardly or upwardly turned hooks or anchor elements 10 on their lower ends which are passed through and engaged in the holes 6 in the anchor member. The side rods 9 are connected at intervals by cross bars 11 which are welded to the side rods as at 12 to space the side rods equal to the spacing of the holes 6. The cross bars 11 have support "or display attaching rings .13 welded thereto as at 14 and the side rods 9 have other display attaching elements in the form of. semi-circular wire loops 15 secured to their inner sides at intervals therealong. j j

x The. upper ends of the side rods 9 extend substantially beyond the closest cross bar 11A and so are laterally 'springable as indicated in FIG. 2. The ends of the rods 9 have upwardly oifset and downwardly concave U- 3,005,278 Patented Oct. 24, 1961 'ice rods 18 and 19 connected at intervals by cross bars 20 equal in length to the cross bars 11. Certain of these cross bars 20 have display attaching rings 13 attached thereto and other display supporting loops 15 are attached to the side rods 18 and 19. A lower interlocked cross bar 22 is secured across the undersides of the side rods 18 and 19 in spaced relation to the cross bar 21 so that the longitudinally extended ends 17 of the terminal arch section can be converged together and slipped under the cross bar 22 with the top interlocked cross bar 21 engaged in the U-bends 16. The intermediate arch section 3 and its side rods 18 and 19 is then a substantial continuation of the terminal arch section 1 and its side rods 9.

The right end of the intermediate arch section 3 and its side rods 18 and 19 are provided with interlocking U- shaped bends 16A and longitudinally extended ends 17A of the same type as the interlocking connections on the terminal section 1. These interlocking elements coact with interlock cross bars 21A and 22A on the upper ends of side rods 23 of the right terminal arch section 2. The side rods 23 of the right terminal arch section are provided with outwardly turned hooks 24 equivalent to the hooks 10 on the left terminal arch section. Cross bars 11 connect the side rods and display attaching elements 13 and 15 are connected to various parts of the arch section as on the left arch section 1.

The interlocking connections 16-17 and 2122 permit the arch sections to be easily demounted, but at the same time transmit and sustain vertical loads and bending loads applied to the arch sections so that the display arch can be bowed to various heights as required by variable spacing of its anchor members 4. The spaced side rods of all of the arch sections give the arch lateral stability so that the arch if erected is capable of supporting a substantial amount of display and advertising material. The variety of display and advertising material which can be supported from the arch is infinite and FIGS. 3 and 4 simply illustrate twoof many methods of attaching display and advertising material to the arch. A tubular paper display and decorating element is disclosed conventionally at 25 positioned around one of the arch sections and secured in place thereon by a familiar type of brass headed paper fastening pin 26 passed through the display element and one of the attaching loops 15. Advertising panels 27 are suspended from the arch by means of wire hooks or ties 28 connected to selected attaching rings 13. Other methods of connection and attachment of advertising material to the supporting arch will be obvious.

What is claimed'as new is:

1. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members having upstanding flanges with spaced holes therein, means including adhesive coatings on the bottoms of said anchor plate members for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation to the spacing of the holes in said anchor members, outwardly turned ,hooks on thelower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged through the holes in said anchor members, upwardly olf-set and downwardly concave U-bends with longitudinally extending ends disposed below the remainder of the rods formed on one end of the rods of said intermediate arch section and one of said terminal sections, said bends being spaced substantially from the nearest cross bar permitting lateral flexing of the ends of the rods, interlock cross bars positioned in spaced relation at the other ends of said intermediate section and said other terminal section with the end interlock cross bars at the tops and ends of the rods of the sections and interior interlock cross bars on the undersides of the rods whereby the U-bends of the rods of one section engage the end interlock cross bar of an adjacent section and the longitudinally extending ends engage under the interior interlock bar, and display attaching elements on said sections consisting of rings secured to certain of said cross bars in the planes of said sections and semi-circular loops attachedto the insides of said rods perpendicular to the planes of said sections.

2. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members having upstanding flanges with spaced holes therein, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation, outwardly turned hooks on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged through the holes in said anchor members, upwardly off-set and downwardly concave U-bends with longitudinally extending ends disposed below the remainder of the rods formed on one end of the rods of said intermediate arch section and one of said terminal sections, said bends being spaced substantiallyfrom the nearest cross bar permitting lateral flexing of the ends of the rods, interlock cross bars positioned in spaced relation at the other ends of said intermediate section and said other terminal section with the end interlockcross bars at the tops and ends of the rods of the sections and interior interlock cross bars on the u-ndersides of the rods whereby the U-bends of the rods of one section engage the end interlock cross bar of an adjacent section and the longitudinally extending ends engage under the interior interlock bars, and display attaching elements on said sections consisting of rings secured to certain of said cross bars and semi-circular loops attached to the insides of said rods.

3. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members having upstanding flanges with spaced holes therein, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of two terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in'equally spaced relation to the spacing of the holes in said anchor members, hooks on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged through the holes in said anchor members, upwardly off-set and downwardly concave U-bends with longitudinally extending ends disposed below the remainder of the rods formed on one end of the rods of two of said sections, said bends being spacedsubstantially from the nearest cross bar permitting lateral flexing of the ends of the rods, interlock cross bars positioned in spaced relation at the ends of the sections opposed to said U-bends with the end interlock cross bars at the tops and ends of the rods and interior interlock cross bars on the undersides of the rods whereby the U-bends of the rods of one section engage the end interlock cross bar of an adjacent section and the longitudinally extending ends engage under the interior interlock bar, and display attaching elements on said sections.

4. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members having upstanding flanges with spaced holes therein, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of two terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation to the spacing of the holes in said anchor members, hooks on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged through the holes in said anchor members, downwardly concave U- bends with longitudinally extending ends disposed below the remainder of the rods formed on one end of the rods of two of said sections, said bends being spaced substantially from'the nearest cross bar permitting lateral flexing of the ends of the rods, interlock cross bars positioned in spaced relation at the ends of the sections opposed to said U-bends with the end interlock cross bars at the ends of the rods whereby the U-bends of therods of one section engage the end interlock cross bar of an adjacent section and the longitudinally extending ends engage under .the interior interlock bar, and display attaching elements on the said sections.

5. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members having upstanding flanges with spaced holes therein, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of two terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self-supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation, releasable connecting means on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged with said anchor members, means on said rods forming upwardly swingable and releasable and downwardly unswingable interlocking connections between the adjacent ends of said arch sections, the ends of the rods of one section at each interlocking connection being spaced substantially from the nearest cross bar permitting lateral flexing of the ends of the rods, and display attaching elements on said sections consisting of rings secured to certain of said cross .bars in the planes of said sections and semi-circular loops attached to the insides of said rods perpendicular to the planes of said sections.

6. An advertising display support comprisinga pair of anchor plate members, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of two terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation, releasable connecting means on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged with said anchor members, means on said rods forming upwardly swingable and releasable and downwardly unswingable interlocking connections between the adjacent ends of said arch sections, and display attaching elements on said sections consisting of rings secured to certain of said cross bars and semi-circular loops attached to the insides of said rods.

7. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor plate members, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of two terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including equally spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods in equally spaced relation, releasable connecting means on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged with said anchor members, means on said rods forming upwardly swingable and releasable and downwardly unswingable interlocking connections between the adjacent ends of said arch sections.

8. An advertising display support comprising a pair of' arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections including spaced side rods of self supporting flexible material and cross bars connecting the rods, hooks on the lower ends of the rods of said terminal sections engaged through the holes in said anchor members, upwardly swingable and downwardly unswingable interlocking releasable connections between said arch sections, and display attaching elements on said sections.

9. An advertising display support comprising a pair of anchor members, means for securing the members in spaced relation, an arch extending between said anchor members and consisting of terminal arch sections and at least one intermediate arch section, said arch sections being of self supporting flexible material, means on the lower ends of said terminal sections engaged with said anchor members at transversely spaced points, upwardly swingable and downwardly unswingable interlocking releasable connections between said arch sections, and display attaching elements on said sections.

10. An advertising display support comprising three normally straight but flexible self supporting arch sections connectable end to end, coacting joint means on the adja. cent ends of said sections forming releasable connections resisting downward and lateral folding of the sections whereby the sections may be bowed in downwardly concave manner, transversely spaced anchor elements on the free ends of the end arch sections, anchor plates attachable in spaced relation to relatively fixed supports, said anchor plates having transversely spaced catch portions releasably engageable with said anchor elements in outward thrust resisting relation to the bow of said arch sections when the sections are connected and bowed, and display attaching elements on said arch sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,303,631 Grant Dec. 1, 1942 2,693,663 Burchard Nov. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 53,506 Sweden Ian. 17, 1923 92,169 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1921 

